Setback controls based on out-of-room presence information

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and devices for managing energy consumption in multi-room facilities are provided. In particular, intelligent mechanisms for determining a location of a mobile device ( 124 ) associated with a room ( 112   a,    112   b . . .    112   n ) and then for managing energy settings, especially setback controls, of that room ( 112   a,    112   b . . .    112   n ) are provided. Some logic for implementing these mechanisms may be provided in a mobile device ( 124 ) and in-room device, such as a motion detector, thermostat, HVAC controller, door, lock, television, set top box, etc.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to energy management andsecurity systems, devices, and methods particularly well suited for usein multi-room facilities.

BACKGROUND

The energy management of multi-room, or multi-suite, facilities such ashotels, apartment buildings, office complexes, dormitories, officebuildings, classrooms, cruise ships, laboratory facilities, and similarstructures is complex and demanding. Specifically, the unique demandsassociated with multi-room facilities, including facility security,facility operational efficiency, and facility maintenance, cancontribute to high operational costs for the typical facility operator.As multi-room facilities increase in size so do the costs associatedwith facility management and maintenance.

In a hotel, for example, individual rooms utilize devices/elements suchas doors, electronic locks, Do Not Disturb (DND) devices, lights,heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), safe, minibar,draperies, maid communication devices, room occupancy detection andcommunication, and more and all have a potentially high impact on thehotel operation (particularly the operating costs) as well as guestcomfort.

Many building owners, including the owners of apartments, offices andhotels, continue to seek methods to decrease their HVAC expenses. Onemethod to do so is to select minimum and maximum setback temperaturesfor a room, which require less operation of the room's HVAC equipment,when the room is not occupied. This method requires an accurateoccupancy sensor.

In the past, motion detectors have been used as occupancy sensors inrooms. In particular, infrared motion detectors have been used. Aninfrared motion detector typically measures persons or objects that areboth 1) showing a selected surface temperature difference from that ofthe room and 2) moving at a selected speed.

However, the use of a motion detector as an occupancy sensor does notproduce an accurate indication of a room being occupied in situations inwhich an occupant remains motionless for an extended period of time,such as in sleeping, reading or watching television. The motion detectoris also not accurate in rooms in which the geometry of the room includesblind spots to the motion detector such as alcoves or bathrooms.

Moreover, the use of motion detectors may be capable of differentiatingbetween a general state of occupancy associated with a room, but theyare incapable of determining a general or specific location of theoccupant after the occupant has left the room. As such, the typicalmulti-room facility operator cannot make use of more efficient energymanagement techniques and deeper setback controls to save the wastedenergy consumption costs associated with an unoccupied room.

SUMMARY

It is, therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure to provide a moreintelligent mechanism for managing the operations of a multi-roomfacility. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosureprovide methods, systems, and devices for determining occupancy statesof a room, or collection of rooms, based at least in part on a locationof a mobile device associated with the room or collection of rooms. Inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure, theoccupancy state of a room or collection of rooms may be determined byanalyzing a combination of a door state, motion activity within the roomor rooms, and/or a mobile device location. Once a room occupancy stateis determined, certain room functions may be controlled to conserveenergy.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a setback controls systemto control the in-room energy consumption based on detecting thelocation of an occupant in relation to the room. It can be offline(in-room only) or as a part of an online system using online devicenetworks such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/872,549 to Alexander et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/691,862 to Alexander et al., the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference for all that they teach and for allpurposes. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, components ofthe setback controls system comprise one or more of an intelligentthermostat module, a motion sensor which may also have some built inintelligence, a mobile device which may have some built-in intelligence,a software system for controlling the transmission of a message betweenthe setback controls system and the mobile device, a software system forcontrolling the transmission of a message throughout the multi-roomfacility, and service terminal software for a handheld programmer unit,which may also be referred to as a service terminal. The online systemmay utilize existing gateways and, if needed, existing routers of a locknetwork. In some embodiments, these gateways are outside of the room andreceive data wirelessly from several rooms and convert it to networkdata, usually in the form of a TCP/IP packet.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure,the door lock is adapted to send a wireless message to the thermostatcontroller each time the door is opened, detailing that it is a dooropen command, opened by key or from the inside, and if by key sends theuser type (guest or staff) and expiration date if it is a guest key. Thedoor lock may also send a message when the door is closed.

In some embodiments, the mobile device is configured to send a wirelessmessage to the thermostat controller, setback controls system, or otherin-room device or near-room device when the mobile device changeslocation. This change in location may include moving from one positionto another inside a room, outside a room, and/or combinations thereof.Additionally or alternatively, the change in location may be recordedand/or compared to previous location information associated with themobile device. Among other things, by comparing location positions atdifferent times, the direction of travel of the mobile device maydetermined. It is an aspect of the present disclosure that locationand/or direction of travel may be determined using GPS data, WiFi accesspoint detection, cell tower location and/or combinations thereof inreal-time, near-real-time, and/or based on historical data. The locationand/or direction of travel may be used to determine the level of setbackcontrol to apply to a room or plurality of rooms.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that the wireless message maybe sent by the mobile device automatically or manually. In oneembodiment, the wireless message may be sent in response to at least oneinput received. Various inputs may include one or more request, timer,device state (on, off, sleep, energy-saving mode, etc.), mobile devicelocation, and the like. It may be possible to configure the mobiledevice to refrain from sending this information more than once in apredetermined time period (e.g., 30 second time period).

In some embodiments, the thermostat controller receives this informationand makes determinations of the occupancy of the room. When the door isclosed and motion has been sensed, the room enters the Occupied State.Additionally or alternatively, when the mobile device is detected asbeing inside the room, or in-room, the room may enter the OccupiedState. In this state, control of the HVAC system, and in the futureother energy consuming devices such as the lighting and TV, will begiven to the occupant based on the settings of the thermostat. When thedoor opens, the thermostat controller will operate based on the settemperature of the unit for a configurable period of time (typically 8minutes), and will enter or remain in the Unoccupied or Unsold stateuntil a “door closed and motion detected” and/or “mobile device in-room”message is received. If no motion is detected for a configurable amountof time (e.g., 8 minutes), the thermostat controller may control theroom based on the energy management settings, not the local settings ofthe thermostat. Additional features may be included to determineresponse to conditions when the door is left open, based on if it is aninterior corridor door or an exterior door.

In addition to the operational messages, the battery operated devicesmay also send their battery status information to the thermostatcontroller.

If no Radio Frequency (RF) door lock is used, the system will monitorthe door position using a standard door switch, either wired orwireless. In this scenario, the only information the thermostatcontroller receives is the door open and door closed status. If wired,such information may be received through a closed loop input.

Embodiments of the present disclosure add the detection of occupantswhen they use any online devices of the room, such as pressing thebuttons of the thermostat, opening or closing the in-room safe orminibar, turning on or off the lights, setting the Do Not Disturb on aseparate device or on the door lock. If any of these (or other) devicesare used, the setback controls system can determine that a person isinside the controlled space. This feature is especially useful in theevent that a mobile device associated with the controlled space belongsto an occupant who has left the space with the mobile device, but otheroccupants remain in the controlled space. For example, the children of afamily may remain in the room of a hotel while the parents attend aparty in some other area of the hotel. In this scenario it may not bedesired to control the room functions in a setback mode.

In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure,the state of “door closed”, plus any other device being used, means theroom is occupied.

It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide an intruderdetection and alert feature. This particular feature is a security alertthat can be used in rooms where occupancy determination is present. Touse this feature, a motion sensor and online door lock may be employed.As one example, if the inside handle of the door lock is turned, but theroom is in the unoccupied state, an alarm is issued to alert securitythat an under the door tool may have been used to gain accesssurreptitiously. This alarm can be sounded in a number of methods,including computer screen, email, SMS, buzzer, etc.

It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide an automatedDo Not Disturb (DND) feature. This feature may also be used in a roomwhere occupancy determination is present. In accordance with at leastsome embodiments of the present disclosure, when the room enters theoccupied state, a signal is sent to the door lock to enable the DNDfeature of the lock without the guest having to do anything.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a motion only functionalitymay be utilized whereby occupancy state can be determined without doormonitoring. This feature may employ one or more motion sensors and acontroller, which may be provided in a thermostat or other centralmanagement device. In some embodiments, two time intervals may bedefined, a daytime interval and a typically shorter nighttime interval,although the daytime interval may be equal to or shorter than thenighttime interval. In the daytime interval, whenever motion isdetected, an energy management system may enter an occupied state for aconfigurable (customer configuration or administrator configuration)number of minutes, e.g. 15-30. Each time motion is detected, the timeris restarted. When in the nighttime interval, if motion is detected, theenergy management system may lock into an occupied state until thedaytime interval is reached.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a mechanism is provided forturning off a motion sensor (e.g., to save batteries) when occupancy ofa room is confirmed. When using door monitoring and motion detection foroccupancy determination, or in nighttime interval of utilizingmotion-only occupancy detection, once occupancy is confirmed by the doorbeing closed and motion sensed, the motion sensor may be turned offuntil the door has been opened again. By entering this sleep mode, thebattery life of the motion sensor will be extended.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that the setback controlssystem and/or mobile device are capable of utilizing one or more motiondetectors associated with a room, or rooms, to determine the presence ofone or more occupants inside a room. Although the one or more motiondetectors may be used alone to determine a state of occupancy associatedwith a room, the present disclosure is directed to the use of mobiledevices to provide an accurate room occupancy state and/or occupantlocation. In some embodiments, the mobile device and the one or moremotion detectors may be used in combination by the setback controlssystem in determining a precise location of an occupant inside a room.

In some embodiments, the energy use and/or energy control of a room maybe set to various levels of setback based on the occupancy state of aroom and a location of the mobile device associated with the room. Alow-level setback may adjust HVAC output by changing the set-pointtemperature by one or more degrees. On the other hand, a deep-levelsetback may adjust HVAC output by deactivating the device for a periodof time. In the event that an occupant has left a room, the setbackcontrols may be adjusted to a low-level setback, a mid-level set-back,or a deep-level setback. A low-level setback may be initiated where theoccupant is expected to return (e.g., based on one or more of location,distance from room, and time away from room) in a short amount of time(e.g., 5 minutes or less). The deep-level setback may be initiated whenthe occupant is not expected to return to a room for a long period oftime (e.g., 2 hours or more). It is an aspect of the present disclosurethat the mid-level setback may be initiated for any range in between thelow-level and deep-level setback. Furthermore, the setback levels andtemperatures associated therewith may be defined by a user (e.g.,customer or holder of the mobile device) and/or administratively (e.g.,by the hotel staff). In some embodiments, the hotel administration maydefine an acceptable range of temperatures for one or all conditions anda user may pick a specific temperature within that range oftemperatures. Further still, the user may define these temperaturesbefore check-in, during a mobile check-in, or after they havechecked-in.

As can be appreciated, the energy control of a room may be returned toan occupied state upon detecting an approaching location and/orcondition associated with the mobile device. In other words, the roommay be operated in a normal (i.e., non-setback) condition upon detectingthat a mobile device is returning to the room. The detection of a mobiledevice returning to a room may be achieved without detecting presence inthe room. It is a feature of the present disclosure that adjustments maybe made to the room control without negatively affecting the comfort ofthe occupant. For instance, the room may be operated in a deep-levelsetback while the occupant is away from the room for some time, but ifit is detected that the occupant is returning to the room, the HVACand/or other controls may be returned to the room before the occupantarrives. By the time the occupant arrives at the room, the temperatureof the room can be returned to the occupied state temperature, and theentire setback control process would be invisible to the occupant.

In some embodiments, the setback controls may be operated in accordancewith mobile device location. Among other things, the location anddirection of travel of an associated mobile device may be determined byGPS coordinates and data, WiFi access point addresses, and/orTelephony/Cellular location data and/or cell tower use (i.e., LocationInformation). The mobile device may be equipped with an application thatcommunicates with a setback control system associated with themulti-room facility and/or room. This application may accept requestsfor position by the setback controls system on a programmed and/or timedbasis. For example, an occupant may have a mobile device associated witha room of a multi-room facility. The occupant may decide to leave theroom at 9:00 in the morning taking the associated mobile device from theroom. Once the occupant has left the room, the setback controls systemmay determine to start a timer before requesting a first location of theoccupant. When the timer expires, the request for occupant location maybe sent to the occupant's mobile device. Upon receiving the request, themobile device accesses its Location Information and sends a messagecontaining at least the occupant's location to the setback controlssystem for processing. The setback controls system then determines toadjust setback levels of the room based on rules (e.g., distance fromroom, time away from room, anticipated time to return to the room, habitand/or historical data, user preferences, and more).

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that the occupant's directionof travel may be used to adjust the setback controls. The occupant'sdirection of travel may be determined in a number of ways including butnot limited to determining a first location associated with an occupantat a first time, determining a second location associated with theoccupant at a second time, comparing the first location of the occupantto the second location of the occupant, and determining whether thesecond location of the occupant is further away from a specific point ofreference (e.g., the room) or closer to the specific point of reference.In the event that the second location is determined to be further fromthe specific point of reference, then the occupant may be determined tobe traveling away from the room. However, it may be determined that thesecond location is closer to the specific point of reference andtherefore the occupant may be traveling toward the room. It is notnecessary, however, that the specific point of reference be the room ormulti-room facility. As long as the specific point of reference isknown, the computations for determining direction of travel can beadjusted.

It is another aspect of the present disclosure that specific distancesfrom a specific point of reference may be classified as one or morezones. These zones may be used to initiate a response by the setbackcontrols system. For instance, if the occupant described above has beendetected as traveling from one zone to another zone, the setback controlsystem may respond by adjusting the setback controls. Additionally oralternatively, if it is detected that an occupant is located within acertain zone, the setback controls system may determine whether toactivate setback or not. In some embodiments, the setback controlssystem may use a combination of Location Information and zones to finetune a process of room control.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers toany process or operation done without material human input when theprocess or operation is performed. However, a process or operation canbe automatic even if performance of the process or operation uses humaninput, whether material or immaterial, received before performance ofthe process or operation. Human input is deemed to be material if suchinput influences how the process or operation will be performed. Humaninput that consents to the performance of the process or operation isnot deemed to be “material.”

The terms “determine,” “calculate,” and “compute,” and variationsthereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any typeof methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.

It shall be understood that the term “means” as used herein shall begiven its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C.,Section 112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term“means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein,and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materialsor acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described inthe summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings,detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readablemedia include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memorychip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any othermedium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment toe-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, itis to be understood that the database may be any type of database, suchas relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storagemedium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents andsuccessor media, in which the software implementations of the presentdisclosure are stored.

The Summary is neither intended nor should it be construed as beingrepresentative of the full extent and scope of the present disclosure.The present disclosure is set forth in various levels of detail and theSummary as well as in the attached drawings and in the detaileddescription of the disclosure and no limitation as to the scope of thepresent disclosure is intended by either the inclusion or non inclusionof elements, components, etc. in the Summary. Additional aspects of thepresent disclosure will become more readily apparent from the detaileddescription, particularly when taken together with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a multi-room facility and mobiledevice communication in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a setback control system inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a mobile device location system forcommunication with a setback control system of a multi-room facility inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting a method of determining a location ofat least one mobile device in controlling room settings in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a method of providing setbackcontrols based on the location, direction of travel, and rate of travelof a mobile device in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward devices andmethods of using such devices in a wireless network. Although wellsuited for use in systems and methods employing RF communicationprotocols, such as the ZigBee protocol, embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be suitable for use in systems employing other low powerconsumption communication protocols including, without limitation,wireless USB, Z-Wave, and variations of the ZigBee protocol known andnot yet developed.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, an exemplary multi-room, or multi-unit,facility 100 and mobile device 124 communication will be described inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. Themulti-room facility 100 includes a plurality of rooms 112 a-N. Theenergy consumption and/or security of such rooms 112 a-N may becontrolled at an administrative device/control panel 108. The controlpanel 108 may comprise setback controls logic 120 for implementing theenergy management and other features provided herein. The setbackcontrols logic 120 may be provided in the form of instructions stored incomputer memory that, when executed by a processor, perform one or moremethods described herein. In some embodiments the control panel 108 maybe co-located in the same building or complex as the rooms 112. In otherembodiments, the control panel 108 may be remote from the building orcomplex having the rooms 112.

In either instance, the rooms 112, or more specifically devices withinor associated with the rooms 112, may be adapted to communicate with thecontrol panel 108 via a communication network 104. In some embodiments,the rooms 112 may be connected directly to the facility communicationnetwork 104 a while other rooms 112 may be connected to the facilitycommunication network 104 a via an intermediate device. Exemplaryconfigurations of such a communication network are described in moredetail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/872,549, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, at least one mobile device 124 may be associatedwith one or more rooms 112. This association may be provided via anactive or passive registration process as described herein. It is anaspect of the present disclosure that the mobile device 124 may providedetailed location information to the control panel 108. This locationinformation may be used by the setback controls logic 120 to determinean appropriate energy management control for the room 112 associatedwith the mobile device 124. Location information may correspond to aposition of the mobile device 124 relative to a position of the facility100 and/or at least one room 112.

The location information of a mobile device 124 may be provided viainformation from one or more of Global Positioning System (GPS) data,WiFi or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) data, cellular data, and/orother features used by mobile devices 124. This data may be obtained bythe mobile device 124 accessing one or more communication networks 104a, 104 b. Several mobile device 124 and smart-phone manufacturers allowaccess to location services for location-aware applications. Some ofthese manufacturers provide the ability to deactivate location servicepermissions for one or more applications installed on a mobile device124. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the mobiledevice 124 may send location information obtained from at least one ofGPS 128, WiFi Access Point 132, and Cell Tower 136 to the control panel108 where setback controls are managed in accordance with controls logic120.

Although depicted outside of the multi-room facility 100, in someembodiments, the mobile device 124 may be located inside a room 112and/or facility 100. Moreover, the mobile device 124 may communicatewith the multi-room facility 100 via a path through an access point 140and facility communication network 104 a and/or via an alternate paththrough an external communication network 104 b and the control panel108. The access point may be located internal or external to themulti-room facility 100.

FIG. 2 depicts further details of the various devices within a room 112that can be configured to communicate with a centralized managementdevice, such as a setback controls system server 224. More specifically,one or more rooms 112 within a multi-unit facility 100 may be providedwith a plurality of devices, some of which communicate with each otherand others of which communicate with the setback controls system server224. In accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a room 112 may comprise a thermostat 204, a motion detector208 (e.g., an infrared motion detector, an RF device for detecting anRFID being carried by a user, or any other device capable of detectingthe presence of one or more persons within a controlled space), and oneor more doors each having one or more locks 212. Other types of in-roomdevices may include a minibar, an in-room safe, a telephone, a clock, atelevision, a radio, a computer, lights, fans, air conditioning units,heaters, RJ-45 connection port, etc.

In the depicted embodiment the thermostat 204 may include a controller214 for implementing one or more setback control methods describedherein. The controller 214 may also be adapted to facilitatecommunications between the thermostat 204 and the other in-room devices208, 212 as well as out of room devices, such as a gateway 216 (which isbut one example of an intermediate device 116). In some embodiments asingle gateway 216 may be in communication with a plurality of differentrooms 112 via their respective controllers 214. The messages exchangedbetween the controller 214 and these other devices may be utilized tofacilitate efficient and low-cost methods for managing the room 112. Inother embodiments, a gateway 216 may comprise a controller for aplurality of rooms 112. Is some embodiments, control functionality maybe split between multiple in-room and/or out-of-room devices.

In addition to receiving and sending messages as described above, thecontroller 214 may also be adapted to send messages, such as controlmessages, to in-room devices and/or mobile devices 124. As one example,the controller 214 may implement an automated DND feature whereby thecontroller 214 sends a message (either via a wired or wirelesscommunication medium) to one or both of the doors/locks 212 instructingthe doors/locks 212 to enter the DND mode when the room 112 is occupied.It should be noted that this particular feature may be user configurableand, once configured, easily and automatically executed by thecontroller 214. As another example, the controller 214 may implementbattery saving features by sending messages to various in-room devices,such as the motion detector 208, instructing the motion detector toenter a sleep mode until activity is detected at one of the doors/locks212. In yet another example, the controller 214 may be configured tosend a message to an associated mobile device 124 regarding setbackcontrol decisions.

In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure,the controller 214 may also be adapted to send periodic status messagesas well as messages reporting any in-room or room-related events (e.g.,door messages, motion messages, occupied states, temperatures, runtimecalculations, alarms, maintenance intervals, etc.) to the gateway 216.The gateway 216 is then configured to generate a message fortransmission to the setback controls system server 224 and/or the mobiledevice 124 via the facility Local Area Network (LAN) 220. It should beappreciated by those skilled in the art even though the communicationnetwork between the gateway 216 and setback controls system server 224is depicted as a LAN 220, any other type of communication network orcollection of communication networks may also be employed withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a WAN,cellular network, SMS network, CDMA network, TCP/IP network, or anyother type of communication network may be used in addition to or inlieu of the LAN 220.

Although not depicted, the controller 214 may also be capable ofperforming traditional thermostat functions, such as controlling HVACoperations. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the thermostat204 may be connected to an HVAC system via a wired or wirelesscommunication medium. The operation of the HVAC system may be managed bythe controller 214 based on inputs received at the controller from thevarious in-room devices as well as based on instructions received fromthe setback controls system server 224.

In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure,the thermostat 204 may be the only device provided with the controller214 and, therefore, may be the device responsible for coordinating thecommunications within the room 112 and throughout the facility 100. Inother embodiments, the controller 214 may be provided in the motiondetector 208 or one of the doors/locks 212. In other embodiments, two ormore devices within or associated with a room 112 may be provided with acontroller 214. In such a configuration, the multiple controllers 214may be configured to share the controlling responsibilities as well asfacilitate communications. Multiple controllers 214 may also be usefulin situations where it is desirable to avoid a single point of failure.Specifically, a first controller 214 in the room 112 may be the primarycontroller 214 responsible for performing all controlling activities anda second controller 214 in the room 112 may be the room's backupcontroller that is only activated when the primary controller 214 has afailure or otherwise becomes unable to perform its controlling duties.Additionally or alternatively, one or more mobile devices 124 associatedwith the room 112 may be provided with a controller 214.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a mobile device 124 location system forcommunication with a setback controls system of a multi-room facility300 will be described in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. As previously disclosed, the facility 300includes a plurality of rooms 112 a-N. In some embodiments, one or moremobile devices 124 a-b may be associated with one or more of the rooms112. These mobile devices 124 a-b may provide location information tothe facility 300 that can be used by the setback controls system server224 and/or setback controls logic 120 (see FIG. 1) to determine anenergy management scheme, including a setback control, of one or morerooms 112.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that a mobile device 124 mayprovide location information by sending a message to at least oneadministrative device 108, 224 associated with the facility 300 forsetback control interpretation. The message may contain general orspecific location information of the mobile device 124. For instance, aroom 112 may have varying levels of energy setback that are at leastpartially dependent on the time that an occupant may be away from theroom 112. A deeper setback level may be employed when an occupant is notexpected to return to the room 112 for a longer period of time. On theother hand, lower levels of setback may be employed if it is determinedthat an occupant may return to the room 112 in a shorter period of time.The time that an occupant is away from the room 112 may be determined atleast from a general distance that the mobile device 124 has traveledfrom the facility 300 and/or room 112. In some embodiments, the generaldistances may be established by the use of one or more zones 308 a-N asdescribed herein. Moreover, the message may indicate a direction oftravel, and even rate of travel, associated with the mobile device 124.

In some embodiments, the location information associated with a mobiledevice 124 may be obtained from one or more location points 312 a-c. Itis anticipated that the one or more location points 312 may include atleast one GPS satellite 128, WiFi access point 132, cellular tower 136,equivalents thereof, and the like. The location of a mobile device 124may be provided by one or more methods using trilateration, physicaldevice address, device Internet Protocol (IP) address, triangulation,and other location determination techniques.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that an administrative device108, 224 may request location information messages from a mobile device124 and/or receive location information messages from a registeredmobile device 124. The administrative device 108, 224 may initiate therequest via one or more programmed conditions. For instance, a requestmay be sent from the administrative device 108, 224 in the event that adoor/lock 212 and/or motion detector 208 signal of a room 112 isdetected. This request may be made to verify the location of the mobiledevice 124 associated with the occupant in accordance with rules. Inthis scenario, if it is determined that the occupant is located awayfrom the room 112 an alarm and/or security notification may be sent to athird party, another device, the occupant, the mobile device 124, and/orcombinations thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the administrativedevice 108, 224 may send one or more location information request basedon a timer. This request timer may be initiated by the administrativedevice 108, 224, a third party, some other device, and/or the mobiledevice 124. In some instances, the request timer, may be initiated whenthe mobile device 124 leaves a room 112.

It is another aspect of the present disclosure that the mobile device124 may send location information messages to the administrative device108 without requiring a request from the administrative device 108, 224.For example, a mobile device 124 may send location information to theadministrative device 108, 224 after a message timer has elapsed. Insome instances, the message timer may be initiated when the mobiledevice 124 leaves a room 112. Additionally or alternatively, the mobiledevice 124 may send one or more location information messages upondetermining that the mobile device 124 has entered into and/or passed bya specific zone 308.

Determining the location of the mobile device 124 and/or the zone 308location of the mobile device 124 may be achieved via use of locationpoints 312. In general, the mobile device 124 may include a locationapplication that is configured to monitor and/or track location atvarious time intervals. Specifically, the location application isconfigured to have access to one or more of GPS, WiFi, and Cellularfeatures associated with the mobile device 124. Moreover, the locationapplication may run in the background of other applications andoperating systems that are a part of the mobile device 124. It isanticipated that the location application is capable of using one ormore of the location information features to determine location of themobile device 124 at any given time. In some embodiments, the mobiledevice 124 may use GPS features to request a position by using locationpoints 312, which may be one or more GPS satellites, to retrieve globalcoordinates associated with of the mobile device 124. Additionally oralternatively, the mobile device 124 may utilize WiFi access points todetermine position, where the access points are represented by thelocation points 312 in FIG. 3. By detecting the IP address of one ormore WiFi access points, the mobile device 124, in conjunction with aGeo-IP location database (e.g., IP address map lookup service), candetermine a general or specific location of the mobile device 124.Similarly, cell tower data may be used by the location application todetermine the mobile device 124 location. Refined location informationmay be gathered by the location application utilizing the signalstrength of location points 312, multiple location services, and thelike.

In some embodiments, a direction of travel 316, 320, and even rate oftravel, associated with the mobile device 124 may be determined frommultiple location information samples taken at different times. Thedirection of travel 316, 320 may be determined by the locationapplication and/or the administrative device 108, 224 using locationinformation from the mobile device 124. In general, a first locationinformation of a mobile device 124 may be determined at a first time, asecond location information of the mobile device 124 may be determinedat a second time, the first location information may be compared to thesecond location information, and based on the comparison a direction oftravel 316, 320 may be determined. If the first location and the secondlocation is the same, the samples may be taken again after a period oftime has passed. This sampling period may be configured to increase ordecrease depending on rules. Additionally or alternatively, thedirection of travel 316, 320 may be determined by detecting a change inzone 308 from one time to another.

By way of example, mobile device 124 a may be associated with a firstroom 112 a of the multi-room facility 300. Moreover, the mobile device124 a may be moving in a direction away 320 a from the multi-roomfacility 300. In this case, a first location information determination(L1) may be made at a first point in time (T1). After a period of timehas passed (e.g., 2 minutes), a second location informationdetermination (L2) may be made at a second point in time (T2). ComparingL1 to L2, can provide a general direction of travel 316, 320 of themobile device 124. For instance, the direction of travel 316, 320 of amobile device 124 can be measured to and/or from the multi-room facility300. In one embodiment, the location (L0) of the multi-room facility 300is known and can be used in the comparison of L1 to L2. In this example,L2 is a greater distance away from L0 than L1, so the mobile device 124can be determined to be moving in a direction away 320 a from themulti-room facility 300. It is anticipated that a number of calculationsmay be used to determine direction of travel 316, 320 of a mobile device124.

The rate of travel of a mobile device 124 may also be determined usingthe location information and sampling period described above. In oneembodiment, the difference between L1 and L2 measured as an absolutedistance (D) may be divided by the time (T) between location informationdetermination points (T2−T1) to provide an average rate of travelassociated with the mobile device 124. In some embodiments, themeasurements of direction and rate may be determined using alternativemethods. As previously stated, the rate of travel, and even location, ofthe mobile device 124 may be used by the administrative device 108, 224in determining the timing associated with various setback controls.

It is anticipated that the transmission of location and/or trackinginformation sent between a mobile device 124 and an administrativedevice 108, 224 may be secured to prevent unintended uses beyond thosedisclosed herein. In some embodiments, the messages sent between themobile device 124 and any other device may be encrypted. Additionally oralternatively, it is anticipated that the data, if intercepted, may onlyprovide a location of a mobile device 124 and a unique identifierassociated with the mobile device 124. In other words, the uniqueidentifier may be coded to a memory location in memory associated withthe multi-room facility 300 where occupant data may only be obtainedwhen the memory location of the unique identifier is referenced by theadministrative device 108, 224. This unique identifier may be assignedby the location application and/or the administrative device 108, 224 ofthe multi-room facility 300 upon registration and/or installation of thelocation application.

Referring to FIG. 4, a flow diagram depicting a method of determining alocation of at least one mobile device 124 in controlling room 112settings is shown in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

The method begins by registering a mobile device 124 with the setbackcontrols system server 224 (step 404) of a multi-room facility 300.Registration may be achieved by installing at least one application(e.g., location application) on the mobile device 124. The at least oneapplication may include software to determine an identification of themobile device 124 and associate that identification with one or moreassets of the multi-room facility 300 such as a room 112. It is anaspect of the present disclosure that the software may associate themobile device 124 by a unique identifier generated by the mobile device124 and/or administrative device 108, 224. Additionally oralternatively, the registration of the mobile device 124 may be achievedby registering the mobile device 124 with a location services server ofthe multi-room facility 300. The location services server may utilizeone or more of an email, phone number, and device ID associated with themobile device 124. In some embodiments, the location services server maybe a part of the setback controls system server 224 and/or theadministrative device 108. It is anticipated that the registration of amobile device 124 may be programmed to expire after a preset period oftime. Additionally or alternatively, the registration of a mobile device124 may be revoked by administrative policy, override, and/or misuse.

The method continues by determining the physical location of theregistered mobile device 124 (step 408). As described herein, thelocation of the mobile device 124 may be determined by one or more ofGPS, WiFi, and Cellular data. Additionally or alternatively, the mobiledevice 124 may be detected by devices that are part of the multi-roomfacility 300 including but not limited to a door/lock 212, gateway 216,facility LAN 220, setback controls system server 224, and combinationsthereof.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 124 may be detected inside a room112 of a multi-room facility 300 (step 412). As can be appreciated,different setback controls may be initiated if the mobile device 124 isfound in an unassociated room 112 versus if the mobile device 124 isdetected in an associated (and registered) room 112. For example, a room112 may be operated in a setback condition if the mobile device 124 isdetermined to be in an unassociated room 112. The conditions that governthese setback controls may be stored as rules that can be accessed bythe setback controls system server 224 (step 420). For example, therules may determine to delay setback for the room 112 until it has beenestablished that the mobile device 124 is outside of the room 112.Additionally or alternatively, rules may direct the setback controlssystem server 224 to delay a given time period before determining thelocation of the mobile device 124 again. These rules may be storedlocally and/or remotely from the multi-room facility 300.

In the event the mobile device 124 is determined to be located outsideof a room 112, especially an associated room 112, the method continuesby determining setback controls for the room 112 (step 416). In someembodiments, the setback controls may be initiated or adjusted based onthe location of the mobile device 124 from the room 112. It is an aspectof the present disclosure that specific distances locations, and/orzones that represent a distance, or set of distances, from a known point(e.g., the multi-room facility 300) may be used to initiate and/oradjust setback controls. For example, a mobile device 124 may bedetermined to be in a zone that is closest to the facility 300 and, as aresult, the setback controls may be returned to an occupied (ornon-setback) state. Alternatively, the mobile device 124 may bedetermined to be in a zone furthest from the facility 300 and, as aresult, the setback controls may be configured to operate in adeep-level setback condition.

Additionally or alternatively, the setback controls may be initiated oradjusted based on calendar events stored in an application on the mobiledevice 124. For example, when the mobile device 124 is registered withthe facility 300, the facility 300 and/or location application may begranted permissions to check calendar information used by the mobiledevice 124. This calendar information may be stored locally or remotelyfrom the mobile device 124. It is anticipated that the setback controlssystem server 224 may make use of calendar data to initiate, adjust,and/or terminate setback controls for a room 112. Specifically, thecalendar information may be accessed and features associated with one ormore events on the calendar may be recorded. For instance, the calendarmay be examined to determine if an event occurs within a twenty-fourhour period. If an event is detected, features of the event includingbut not limited to time, location, and duration may be used to setcontrol periods for setback controls. If no event is detected, a timermay be initiated to recheck the calendar information for new events in aspecific time period. This recheck may be initiated by detecting thatthe user of a mobile device 124 is entering data into a calendarapplication on the mobile device 124.

In other embodiments, the setback controls may be initiated or adjustedbased on a state associated with the mobile device 124. For instance ifthere is no response from the associated device 124, it may be assumedthat the device 124 has lost power, signal, or both. In this scenario,the setback controls may be adjusted to a minimum (i.e., not deep-level)setback.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that the setback controls maybe initiated, adjusted, or terminated based on input received from themobile device 124. This input may be provided manually, via an operatoror occupant associated with the mobile device 124. Alternatively oradditionally, the input may be provided automatically in response toconditions. These conditions may include default settings, timers, stateof the mobile device 124 and the like. In one embodiment, theadministrative device 108, 224 of a facility 300 may send a message tothe mobile device 124 corresponding to information about the control ofenergy associated with the room 112. For example, the administrativedevice 108, 224 may send a message, in response to a condition, that theroom 112 associated with the mobile device 124 is about to be operatedin a deep-level, or unoccupied, setback state. The condition may berelated to one or more of mobile device 124 physical location, mobiledevice 124 state, timer, administrative request, facility 300 state,operator, or occupant request, and the like. The mobile device 124 maybe presented with options to control the setback level. In this case,the options may appear as “Ignore,” “Accept,” or “Deny.” If theoperator, or occupant, selects the “Ignore” option, the administrativedevice 108, 224 may proceed according to rules and even initiatedeep-level setback. The rules may be such that an “Ignore” input causesthe administrative device 108, 224 to resend the control option message.Alternatively, an “Ignore” selection may initiate a timer beforeinitiating deep-level setback in this case. An “Accept” selection mayperform similarly to the “Ignore” selection behavior. On the other hand,if the “Deny” selection is made, the administrative device 108, 224 mayrespond by ceasing to initiate deep-level setback controls. It isanticipated that a timer may be started to resend the setback controlmessage after a period of time. In some cases, the operator may initiatethe setback controls without a message from the administrative device108, 224. In some embodiments, no option may be selected, in which case,the administrative device 108, 224 continues according to rules.

Once the setback controls have been initiated and/or adjusted based onrules, the method may continue by determining the location of the mobiledevice 124 after a period of time. This period of time may be increasedor decreased depending on one or more of the time of day (e.g., night v.day), state of the device 124 (e.g., on, off, no signal), state of themulti-room facility 300 (fire, emergency, power outage, etc.), andstatus of the mobile device 124 association with the facility 300.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a method of providing setbackcontrols based on the location, direction of travel, and rate of travelof a mobile device 124 in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The method begins by determining the location, direction,and/or rate of travel of the mobile device 124 (step 504). In someembodiments, this determination may involve making multiple locationinformation queries, or samples, at different time intervals. It isanticipated that the accuracy of travel direction and/or rate of travelof the mobile device 124 may be increased by increasing the number ofsamples taken. Furthermore, the time intervals between samples may bedecreased to yield accurate and even instantaneous informationassociated with the mobile device 124.

Next, the direction of travel must be evaluated in relation to the room112 and/or multi-room facility 300 (step 508) based on two or morelocation information determinations made at step 504. In general, themobile device 124 may be stationary, traveling toward, or traveling awayfrom the room 112. For example, it may be determined that a firstlocation information determination is identical, or near identical, to asecond location information determination. In this scenario, it may bepresumed that the mobile device 124 is stationary (step 506). As aresult of this determination, the setback controls may be maintained intheir current state. In some embodiments, the time periods betweendeterminations of the location information such as location, directionof travel and/or rate of travel of the mobile device 124 may be affectedbased on rules (step 510). In one embodiment, a timer may be includedthat expresses a period of time that must pass or expire beforesubsequent determinations of location information can be made. In somesituations, the timer may be set to “zero,” or no time, to facilitate animmediate subsequent location information determination. Exemplary rulesthat direct timer state may include variably delaying subsequentdetermination based on device 124 location.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the mobile device 124 istraveling toward the room 112, the method continues at step 512 bydetermining whether the mobile device 124 is in an immediate zone, ordistance, from the room 112. One or more immediate zones may be presetto include areas close to (e.g., within one mile of) the room 112 and/orfacility 300. These zones may be associated with different rules togovern the level of setback that may be modified by the setback controlssystem server 224 and/or setback controls logic 120 (step 516). Forinstance, the closest immediate zone may be associated with a rule thatensures a room 112 is operating in a non-setback condition. As such,when a mobile device 124 enters the closest immediate zone, the rulewill direct that the room 112 is operating at non-setback levels ofcontrol. It is anticipated that the rules, zones, and distances may beprogrammed, configured, and even changed for each facility 300.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 124 may be determined to belocated outside of the immediate zone, but may still be travellingtoward the room 112. The method continues in this instance by estimatingthe time of arrival (ETA) for the mobile device 124 associate with theroom 112 (step 520). The ETA may be based on an average distancetraveled over a given time period, thus yielding an average rate oftravel. Additionally or alternatively, the ETA may be based oninstantaneous rates of travel and/or location (e.g., using multiplelocation determinations over shorter periods of time). In someembodiments, the number of location information determinations, orsampling rate, may be set for each zone and/or increased as the mobiledevice 124 approaches the room 112 and/or multi-room facility 300. Forexample, the sampling rate of a mobile device 124 located in a thirdzone 308 c may be equal to one sample every five minutes. If the device124 is located in the second zone 308 b, the sampling rate may be onesample per minute. A device 124 in the first zone 308 a may reportlocation information at a sampling rate of three samples per minute.This sampling rate may be adjusted depending on rules and/or the rate oftravel associated with a device 124. For instance, it may be determinedthat a device 124 is approaching the second zone 308 b from the thirdzone 308 c at a rate of speed that, when extrapolated, places the device124 to arrive in the first zone 308 a in less than a minute. In thiscase, the sampling rate may be dynamically and/or automaticallyincreased to, among other things, report greater location informationaccuracy of the device 124.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that the setback controls canbe coordinated with this ETA and ensure that the arrival of the occupantcoincides with the normal operating settings, including temperatures, ofthe room 112 (step 524). In some embodiments, these setback controls maybe adjusted by rule and zone. For example, a mobile device 124 travelingfrom a third zone 308 c to a second zone 308 b may prompt the system toadjust the setback controls from a deep-level setback to a mid-levelsetback. Similar to the sampling rate, the setback controls by zone maybe adjusted dynamically based on updated ETA and/or locationinformation.

If it is determined that the mobile device 124 is traveling away theroom 112, the method continues at step 528 by determining whether themobile device 124 is in an outer zone of distance from the room 112. Oneor more outer zones may be preset to include areas at greater distances(e.g., one or more miles) from the room 112 and/or facility 300. Thesezones may be associated with different rules to govern the level ofsetback that may be modified by the setback controls system server 224and/or setback controls logic 120 (step 532). For instance, the farthestouter zone may be associated with a rule that ensures a room 112 isoperating in a deep-level setback condition. As such, when a mobiledevice 124 enters the farthest outer zone, the rule will direct that theroom 112 is operating at a deep-level setback.

If it is determined that the device 124 is not at an outer zone, but istraveling away from the room 112, the setback controls associated withthat room 112 may be adjusted based on rules (step 536). The rules maydirect the setback controls to maintain, adjust, and/or deactivatecontrols associated with a room 112. Furthermore, the rules may be basedon data received from the mobile device 124 including but not limited todirection of travel, rate of travel, location, zone, and/or combinationsthereof.

Once the adjustment, including the possible maintenance (not changing),of setback controls has been made, the method may continue by repeatingthe method from step 504. Additionally or alternatively, the method maycontinue by passing through a possible timer based on rules at step 510.It is anticipated that the timer may be included to set a period of timethat must pass or expire before subsequent determinations of locationinformation can be made. In some situations, the timer may be set to“zero,” or no time, to facilitate an immediate subsequent locationinformation determination. As previously stated, exemplary rules thatdirect timer state may include variably delaying subsequentdetermination based on device 124 location.

While the above-described flowcharts have been discussed in relation toa particular sequence of events, it should be appreciated that changesto this sequence can occur without materially effecting the operation ofthe disclosure. Additionally, the exact sequence of events need notoccur as set forth in the exemplary embodiments. The exemplarytechniques illustrated herein are not limited to the specificallyillustrated embodiments but can also be utilized with the otherexemplary embodiments and each described feature is individually andseparately claimable.

The present disclosure, in various embodiments, includes components,methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depictedand described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations,and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how tomake and use the present disclosure after understanding the presentdisclosure. The present disclosure, in various embodiments, includesproviding devices and processes in the absence of items not depictedand/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including inthe absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices orprocesses, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\orreducing cost of implementation.

Additionally, the systems, methods and protocols of this disclosure canbe implemented on a special purpose computer, a programmedmicroprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuitelement(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signalprocessor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discreteelement circuit, a programmable logic device such as PLD, PLA, FPGA,PAL, a communications device, such as a phone, any comparable means, orthe like. In general, any device capable of implementing a state machinethat is in turn capable of implementing the methodology illustratedherein can be used to implement the various communication methods,protocols and techniques according to this disclosure.

The foregoing discussion of the disclosure has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intendedto limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In theforegoing Detailed Description for example, various features of thedisclosure are grouped together in one or more embodiments for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosurerequires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of thedisclosure.

Moreover though the description of the disclosure has includeddescription of one or more embodiments and certain variations andmodifications, other variations and modifications are within the scopeof the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge ofthose in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It isintended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to theextent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalentstructures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or notsuch alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

1. A method of managing a multi-room facility, comprising: associating amobile device with at least one room of the multi-room facility;determining, at a first time, a first location of the mobile device; andcontrolling an energy use of the at least one room based at leastpartially on the first location of the mobile device.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein associating the mobile device further comprises:installing a location application on the mobile device; and registering,at an administrative device of the multi-room facility, the mobiledevice with an identifier, the identifier cross-referenced to the atleast one room. 3-4. (canceled)
 5. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the first location of the mobile device further comprises:sending a message from the mobile device to an administrative device ofthe multi-room facility, the message reporting at least a physicallocation of the mobile device. 6-20. (canceled)
 21. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, whenexecuted by a processor, perform a method comprising: associating amobile device with at least one room of the multi-room facility;determining, at a first time, a first location of the mobile device; andcontrolling an energy use of the at least one room based at leastpartially on the first location of the mobile device. 22-24. (canceled)25. A multi-room facility, comprising: a plurality of rooms eachcontaining at least one door and one or more in-room devices, at leastone of the in-room devices comprising a controller adapted to manageselected aspects of the room; a setback controls server configured tocontrol energy use of at least one room of the plurality of rooms,wherein the setback controls server is capable of communicating with theone or more in-room devices; and an administrative device configured tosend and receive messages to and from one or more mobile devices,wherein the one or more mobile devices are associated with at least oneroom of the plurality of rooms. 26-32. (canceled)
 33. A method ofcontrolling a thermostat of a room, comprising: operating the thermostataccording to a first operating condition; determining a location of amobile device associated with the thermostat and located outside of theroom; and operating the thermostat according to a second operatingcondition based on the determined location of the mobile device.
 34. Themethod of claim 33, wherein prior to operating the thermostat accordingto the second operating condition, the method comprises: determiningwhether the location of the mobile device is within a specific zone ordistance from the room.
 35. The method of claim 33, wherein the locationof the mobile device is provided via the mobile device in communicationwith a setback control system associated with the room.
 36. The methodof claim 33, wherein prior to operating the thermostat according to thesecond operating condition, the method comprises: sending a message froman administrative device associated with the room to the mobile device,wherein the message includes information corresponding to controlsettings of the room.
 37. The method of claim 33, wherein prior tooperating the thermostat according to the first operating condition, themethod comprises: determining whether the room is occupied orunoccupied; operating the thermostat in a non-setback condition when theroom is determined to be occupied; and operating the thermostat in asetback condition when the room is determined to be unoccupied.
 38. Themethod of claim 37, wherein the first operating condition corresponds tothe setback condition and the second operating condition corresponds toa non-setback condition.
 39. The method of claim 37, wherein thelocation of the mobile device is determined via at least one GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receiver, Wireless Communications (WiFi)module, and telephony/cellular module.
 40. The method of claim 37,wherein at least one of the first and second operating condition isbased on preferences defined by a user of the mobile device.
 41. Themethod of claim 37, wherein determining whether the room is occupied orunoccupied is based at least partially on at least one of a motionsensor, a door lock, and a door switch.
 42. The method of claim 37,wherein determining whether the room is occupied or unoccupied is basedat least partially on the determined location of the mobile device. 43.The method of claim 37, wherein the room is determined to be occupiedwhen the mobile device is located outside of the room and within aspecific zone or distance from the room.
 44. The method of claim 37,wherein the room is determined to be occupied when the mobile device islocated outside of the room and at least one occupant is detected insidethe room.
 45. The method of claim 43, wherein the room is unoccupiedwhen the mobile device is located outside of the room and outside of thespecific zone or distance from the room.
 46. A non-transitory computerreadable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executedby a processor, perform the method of claim
 33. 47. A setback controlsystem, comprising: a thermostat configured to control a temperature ofa controlled space based on energy management settings; and a controllerconfigured to the alter the energy management settings based on adetermined location of a mobile device associated with the thermostatand located outside of the controlled space.
 48. A method of controllingan operating condition of a thermostat, comprising: associating a mobiledevice with the thermostat; detecting a state of a door of a controlledspace; determining, based at least on the detected state, a setbackcondition for the controlled space; and sending, in response todetermining the setback condition, a setback control options message tothe mobile device that is associated with the thermostat.
 49. The methodof claim 48, further comprising: receiving input provided via the mobiledevice; and controlling the operating condition of the thermostat basedon the input received from the mobile device.
 50. The method of claim48, wherein the state of the door is based on a message sent via a lockassociated with the door.
 51. The method of claim 48, wherein thesetback control options message includes options for selectivelycontrolling an operation of the thermostat.
 52. The method of claim 48,wherein the setback control options message is sent to an applicationrunning on the mobile device, and wherein the message is sent via asetback control system server in communication with the thermostat. 53.A method of controlling an operating condition of a thermostat,comprising: detecting an activity at a door lock; sending, in responseto detecting the activity, a message to a mobile device associated withthe thermostat; receiving, at a controller of the thermostat, operatingcondition control instructions sent via the mobile device; and setting,via the controller, the operating condition of the thermostat based onthe operating condition control instructions.
 54. The method of claim53, wherein prior to sending the message to the mobile device, themethod comprises: determining whether a room associated with the doorlock is occupied or unoccupied and sending the message only when theroom is determined to be unoccupied.
 55. The method of claim 53, whereinthe operating condition corresponds to a setback condition or anon-setback condition.
 56. The method of claim 55, further comprising:sending, via the door lock, a wireless message to the controller whenthe door is at least one of opened by key, opened from a side inside aroom, and closed.
 57. A method of controlling an operating condition ofa thermostat, comprising: receiving information regarding a setbackcondition for a room at a mobile device; presenting the informationregarding the setback condition for the room via a user interface of themobile device; receiving a user input at the mobile device, the userinput corresponding to a desired control of the thermostat; and sendinga control message from the mobile device that includes the desiredcontrol of the thermostat.
 58. The method of claim 57, wherein thepresented information regarding the setback condition includes one ormore setback levels.
 59. The method of claim 58, wherein the one or moresetback levels includes at least one of a low-level setback configuredto change a set-point temperature of the room one or more degrees and adeep-level setback configured to deactivate thermostat controlled energyoutput for the room.
 60. The method of claim 57, wherein the informationregarding the setback condition is presented in response to detecting alocation of the mobile device.
 61. The method of claim 60, wherein thelocation of the mobile device is provided via at least one GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receiver, Wireless Communications (WiFi)module, and telephony/cellular module associated with the mobile device.62. The method of claim 57, wherein the information regarding thesetback condition is presented in response to detecting a direction oftravel associated with the mobile device.